Manitoba Hydro Offering Voluntary Buyouts to Employees

WINNIPEG — Efforts to reduce costs at Manitoba Hydro will include a voluntary departure program being made available to employees next week.

Hydro says the program will further reduce its workforce by eliminated 15 percent of positions reporting directly to vice-presidents. An earlier executive restructuring in February cut VP positions by 30 percent.

“The voluntary departure program is the preferred first step to achieving our target workforce reduction,” said Kelvin Shepherd, Manitoba Hydro’s president and CEO. “It’s fair to our employees, providing a financial incentive to those who choose to voluntarily leave the company.”

Hydro is in the process of cutting 900 positions across the public utility after a review by the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board began last September.

The voluntary departure program will be offered for six weeks beginning April 10.

Hydro is also expected to file an application for a rate increase with the Public Utilities Board in May.